You are here

Inquiry First.

As a response to the shortage of teachers qualified to teach STEM subjects, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA has plans to create a center dedicated to STEM education. “The STEM Education Center at WPI will engage and empower K-12 STEM educators and help them to do the critically important job of fostering the next generation of scientists and engineers who will help solve some of the greatest challenges facing our world,” said Dr. Martha Cyr, who will be the center's executive director. “Our nation and our world are relying on these teachers and their students, and WPI is dedicated to helping them succeed.” The center will focus on three primary areas: Certification and Degree Programs, Professional Development Workshops, and Integration of Research on Teaching and Learning.Via www.wpi.edu

The winning project was a bio-digester, designed for decomposing organic household waste and extracting gas for cooking. "We have been trying to get the project registered at the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion and to see the possibility of having the bio-digester in many homes, said Desmond Achoakawa, coordinator for the the Society for the Promotion of Science and Technology. "This will reduce the dependence on kerosene and cooking gas, as the bio-digester provides an alternative for cooking at a very minimal cost since the required raw material is waste products."Via 234next.com

National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) Executive Director Francis Eberle weighs in on the NSTA blog about the health of the STEM pipeline, pointing out that STEM literacy doesn't end at the high school level: "How we can keep more students engaged in STEM both in high school and especially when they get to college?"Via nstacommunities.org

A partnership of the Department of Education, the City University of New York, and IBM, P-TECH is an innovative high school with a mission. The six-year (grades 9-14) school offers students core subjects with a special focus on STEM. Graduates receive a high school diploma as well as an Associate's degree in Applied Science. Underwritten by IBM, the school opened in September with 104 students and anticipates an enrollment of 400-450 by 2014. "We want to get underrepresented students and populations to go into science, technology, engineering or math industries," said P-TECH principal Rashid Ferrod Davis. "We have to work with those who need strengthening so that they have a shot at middle-income lifestyles via these industries."Via www.blackenterprise.com

After the inspiring experience of their high school science classes, college students pursuing STEM disciplines seem to be discovering a sober truth in college: This stuff is hard.

According to studies, approximately 40% of college students starting out in STEM disciplines schange majors or fail to get any degree. As UCLA professor Mitchell J. Chang says, "We’re losing an alarming proportion of our nation’s science talent once the students get to college; it's not just a K-12 preparation issue."Via www.nytimes.com

Interesting New York Times article on women pursuing STEM fields as undergraduates quotes MIT dean of admissions Stuart Schmill: "The real issue is women are falling out of STEM fields all along the pipeline, starting in middle school and high school. To increase gender balance, it’s all a matter of getting the right story out about science and engineering to young women, that it’s not about sitting at a desk doing math all day."Via www.nytimes.com

In the 2008-2009 school year, more American students received undergraduate degrees in visual and performing arts than engineering. Among international students, however, the 2009-2010 school year yielded far more graduates in engineering, physical and life sciences, and math and computer science than in social sciences and fine arts. Click below for more complete statistics. What implications does the persistent dearth of graduates in the sciences have for the U.S. economy? How quickly do you think we can turn the tide?Via globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com

When 8th grader Chance Williams found himself floundering in Spanish class, his tech-savvy father floated the suggestion that his son be allowed to take Java as a foreign language instead. The school agreed, and permitted Chance and his dad to organize an independent study course.

Things have gone well: Chance hopes to get his Java certification by the end of 9th grade, and already has produced an app, Droidbox, which has been downloaded 500 times.Via venturebeat.com

Even veteran educators are putting research into practice and testing the merits of inquiry-based approaches to learning versus lecture-style teaching. At George Washington University, for example, physics professor William Briscoe -- a professor for 35 years -- took an apprehensive leap into inquiry learning, using small group discussions and hands-on activities to teach his introductory physics class. He noticed that the average grade students in that class received on the first test he administered were 10% higher than those of students in his lecture courses.Via www.gwhatchet.com